Loving the life you live, and living the life you love!

“There have been 56,662,169 abortions (and counting) in America since Roe vs. Wade, and Doe vs. Bolton in 1973, the two most destructive and disastrous decisions of the United States Supreme Court, which legalized abortion throughout pregnancy.”

Today is the 41st anniversary of these decisions. As followers of Christ, we are called to respectfully advance the right to life and protect the vulnerable unborn. Let us offer our prayers for these aborted babies and for babies who will be aborted.

I have been called a lot of names
A zygote, an embryo, a fetus
A blob of cells but never a human being.
I forbid you to give in to the absurdity of the ‘pro-choice’
Hearing their point you might lose your poise.
Let the laissez-faire minds make some noise, and
Allow not the man-made imposed body of rules trick you into thinking it’s all about women’s rights
What they don’t know is you’re in it for the long run in protecting the lump of cells fight
Dare not listen to the main-stream media
For you might end up getting more of a trivia.

Although the feeling of pain is still uncertain
Let me tell you this so you can decide if the pain is real or imagined
In most cases, an instrument is used to reach into my mom’s uterus
To grasp and pull my feet into the cervix, limbs ripped off my body
Scissors are then forced into the base of my tiny skull
And my brains are sucked out
You tell me if I feel pain or not.

(I say to you then)
I’ll rise up for you, my little fella
I’ll be your voice, my tiny Ella,
When you scream and no one seems to hear yah.
You’ll get the chance to grow up shooting hoops or play hula hoops
Cinderella, Woody the Sheriff and Joe the Builder
How Dory and Nemo reunited underwater
And maybe fall in love with Edward in the Zone,
The list of what you can do goes on and on and on.

(The little he/she continues)
I imagine my mom tucking me in the bed
And I beg her for more playtime instead.
I fall asleep with the usual story
Of the Once Upon A Time starters
And the “They Live Happily Ever After.”

Yes this blob of cells after all is quite special
Full of potential,
A gift from up above
Capable of living, loving and yearning to be loved,
That happens to have a heartbeat,
Neat and sweet
To feel mommy’s warmth
And keep me safe from harm
To hear her sing a lullaby
And promise to keep me ‘till it’s time
All I’m asking is to have the same chance to live like she did
And never have to say an early goodbye, heaven forbid.

Be bold, be loud, be unintimidated
Be brave, be fearless and take courage
Bury the filth of the culture of death
Rise up and set aflame all the ways to defend the culture of life.

I love the Flower early on with a sense of glee
The time to care for It at times escapes me.
Water scanty; drive to pour it almost empty.
The soil and dirt clods unbroken, the will so shaken
Weeds unpulled and the Flower unprunned
Still I wonder why the Flower has not fully bloomed.

Glory and praise seldom raised
Exalting and applauding often delayed
Thinking the grandest blessings deserved all thanksgiving
The littlest ones often set aside, claimed less fulfilling.

You called me
You yelled out for me
You shed tears for me
You pierced through my deafness
And put a halt to my blindness,
In Your hope to witness
A transformation from precipitousness to gentleness.

Your face shed its light upon me
Shining brightly, You ordered fear within me to flee,
You cast out doubt to fade away.
Your closeness has blown me away and inspired me never to go astray.

You looked kindly upon my weakness
And with a stroke of Your hand, the weariness vanishes.
You calmly brought forth and sprout a seed of newness
and hastened to my aid and assured me never to be afraid.

I had a taste of Your sweet love,
And now I desire and yearn for You, my Beloved!
I long for Your sweet embrace, that can get me hyped up, crazed and dazed,
Like a wildfire on a surface
Ablaze with love just the thought of seeing Your face.

Got a parcel, fancy stuff of wishful disposition
A “Back to the Future” kinda science fiction ride, a supernatural wand
A sphere made out of the finest stone
No how-to-do-it manual, decrees or injunctions
Ordinances or convictions to maintain.
Script on the carton that reads: BUILD A LIFE TO BE… HOWEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE.
Will you take it as a teachable moment or a case of playing the field for a carefree life wannabe?
Run a risk, jaunt through it and take revel in it.

What kind of life do you want
Perpetual possibilities
Build a classic work of art
A brilliant piece of creative work that sets you apart.
Be on the lookout, ‘coz real wishes do come true
A rare chance of a lifetime exists knocking its way through.

Should there be party, two parties
Or embark on a third-party fantasy?
Greed, social status, massive power grabs
Create dependent, make-believe tribes
By folks who never care, willing to take bribes.
Proliferate the so-called “blob of cells” to the max
Irritate the 41% of pro-choice club who will argue this fact
But don’t worry, the 50% of pro-life crowd will have your back.

Let every man have a chance,
Not every choice to end life to advance.
Be bold, choose your battle that would rattle
Live, fight and carry on without reserve
You are after all the master of this imagined life
You either take the straight path or swerve.
Allow not a heartbeat to be smothered
Can you dig it so far, my brother?

What kind of life do you want
An advantage you’ll only get once
A shot of a lifetime
Boundless choices in abundance.
Build an army of truth with warriors of might
Pull off a fearless Breitbart Is Here kinda act and ignite
Back off the PC wagon and simply speak up for what is right
Applaud those who are bold enough to fight
the dictatorship of relativism
and courage to flee from it with activism.
Start now without an ounce of cynicism.

A fight this crucial is consequential
Anticipate long dark tunnels along your tail
Or maybe even an albatross around your neck,
And on the verge of collapse.
But let loose of the cry of despair and despondency,
For a new day is dawning,
A new start will come forth.
Foresee a silver lining at the end of the tunnel
A light that shines through in the end
By the Mighty Hand who, all along, had it all penned.

What kind of life do you want
Anything goes
Start pointing the crystal magic wand
Muttering something under your breath
Build a masterpiece of a life to be
However you want it to be.

Last night in my dream, I saw an angel with huge wings who was about 25 feet away from where I was standing; he/she was with someone/something but I couldn’t quite get a clear view who/what it/he/she was. As the angel was getting closer to where I was, I suddenly recognized my dad standing in front of me; he was wearing his usual checkered short-sleeved shirt and he was smiling. Then he said: “Hi Teresa;” he bent forward, hugged me gently and he left. I was so happy I couldn’t contain myself; so ecstatic, I got tongue-tied that I couldn’t speak. I woke up reminiscing what just happened, over and over and over again. Every now and then, I do something atypical in a sense that I beg our Lord to allow my dad/brother visit me in my dreams. This night was one of those times that I literally made a true-hearted invocation, and guess what, my Guy did not disappoint! AWESOME! I’m grateful. Keep ‘em comin’, God!

Today is such a wonderful day. Went for an early mass at the convent for my beloved Tata whose birthday is today. On my way there, I thanked God for St. Peter, St. Paul, the rest of the apostles and all the early Christians —the people who dedicated their lives for JESUS to make known and proclaim the Good News to the whole world; the same folks who were persecuted, threatened, tortured and martyred —all for the sake of JESUS… so that the people of today, like you and I may know, love and serve Him. I am thankful. Though these folks with apostolic zeal suffered a great deal while ministering on earth, they now delight greatly in the company of Christ as GOD promised. It brings me great joy that we too can hope and desire for celestial harvest.

And here’s the best part. The Gospel for today May 17th is John 21:15-19 (I didn’t know this beforehand); it is the gospel about Jesus asking PETER three times if he loves Him. The priest in his homily, talked about Peter, how he suffered, how he died, and is now in heaven! Oh wow!—I couldn’t help it but tears started streaming down my cheeks for the gratitude and grace of this spontaneous experience of God’s love, and for the few minutes to enjoy it …

BTW, my dad’s name is PEDRO aka PETER! God is so awesome!

Here is a video clip of the gospel –John 21:15-19. Fast forward to 1:09:47.
Super love the scene when JESUS asks Peter three times if he loves Him.

Peter appeared nonchalant about it the first time he was asked but he sensed how important this to JESUS that our Lord had to ask him three times just to make sure Peter “gets” it; a scene so powerful as JESUS was preparing Peter to take care of His Church.

Amidst the absence of audible sound
When every moment fades into a black ground
Every anticipated desire into a standstill
Brings forth sensations of refined and ethereal seal
Melancholic longing resounding
And sweet caress and exuberant talk dawning and imagined.

Each passing night
I try and close my eyes
Mere thoughts of you
At times they break me up
And pull and rip me apart.

Each passing night
Before I close my eyes
I ask God to let us come together
And meet you in my dreams to never
Let no moment pass us by
No matter how transient, no matter how far
To hold each other tight
When everything else seems not quite right.

Each passing night
I hope and anticipate
a date with you, my dearest Pop,
In my dreams that I could scream
I LOVE YOU with all my heart!

Tonight I was sound asleep
Smiling, you kissed me on the cheek
Dried the tears that burn my eyes
And whispered sweet nothings in my ears
Like you used to when I was two.

I have been called a lot of names
A zygote, an embryo, a fetus
A blob of cells but never a human being.
I forbid you to give in to the absurdity of the ‘pro-choice’
Hearing their point you might lose your poise.
Let the laissez-faire minds make some noise, and
Allow not the man-made imposed body of rules trick you into thinking it’s all about women’s rights
What they don’t know is you’re in it for the long run in protecting the lump of cells fight
Dare not listen to the main-stream media
For you might end up getting more of a trivia.

Although the feeling of pain is still uncertain
Let me tell you this so you can decide if the pain is real or imagined
In most cases, an instrument is used to reach into my mom’s uterus
To grasp and pull my feet into the cervix, limbs ripped off my body
Scissors are then forced into the base of my tiny skull
And my brains are sucked out
You tell me if I feel pain or not.

(I say to you then)
I’ll rise up for you, my little fella
I’ll be your voice, my tiny Ella,
When you scream and no one seems to hear yah.
You’ll get the chance to grow up shooting hoops or play hula hoops
Cinderella, Woody the Sheriff and Joe the Builder
How Dory and Nemo reunited underwater
And maybe fall in love with Edward in the Zone,
The list of what you can do goes on and on and on.

(The little he/she continues)
I imagine my mom tucking me in the bed
And I beg her for more playtime instead.
I fall asleep with the usual story
Of the Once Upon A Time starters
And the “They Live Happily Ever After.”

Yes this blob of cells after all is quite special
Full of potential,
A gift from up above
Capable of living, loving and yearning to be loved,
That happens to have a heartbeat,
Neat and sweet
To feel mommy’s warmth
And keep me safe from harm
To hear her sing a lullaby
And promise to keep me ‘till it’s time
All I’m asking is to have the same chance to live like she did
And never have to say an early goodbye, heaven forbid.

Be bold, be loud, be unintimidated
Be brave, be fearless and take courage
Bury the filth of the culture of death
Rise up and set aflame all the ways to defend the culture of life.

When I look at the Cross
I see a life that was lost.
A future paid for at a high cost
By a Creature, beaten, wounded and tossed.
Was left with nothing more to exhaust
In exchange for eternal gain for the human soul.
A gesture so great
A noble act to be the bait,
The human heart cannot fathom
Only the Divine can ransom.

When I look at the Cross
I see an act of self-giving,
Immeasurable, worthy of thanksgiving.
Full of hope for the wounded world,
Dearly loved by our Lord
Who never hesitated to surrender
To the will of the Father
For the sake of a brother.

When I look at the Cross
I see excruciating pain, the deepest wounds, spiritual agony
That proved to be the testimony for so many
Paved the way to the promised glory
By the Father, who is The One and Most Holy
Through the death of His Son, His One and Only.
All for the sake of His people destined for glory.

When I look at the Cross
I see the triumph of good and downfall of evil;
The beginning of a journey to follow ahead
Or fall astray and go the other way instead.

When I look at the Cross
I see, above all,
The ultimate gift of life immortal
By a desiring Supreme Being who gave His all
For the unworthy and undeserving soul.

So when we are all bottled up inside with tribulations
And feel that we can hardly breathe with our earthly situations,
Look at the Crucifix closely and see beyond His suffering, His torture and humiliation.
There you’ll find our Lord leaning forward***With His head bending down, He wants to give you a kiss
With both arms open wide, He wants to give you an embrace***
With His heart pierced through, He’s ready to take you in,
And utter the words “I Thirst” because He thought of us first.
He chose you and me to share in His pain for eternal bliss.
It is as if I can hear Him say, “You did not choose me but I chose you.”
Oh what a joy to be kissed by The One…
And I struggle to grasp that He actually delights in me and you, His daughter and son.